Feb. 12, 2014 -- Analyzing research that shows online shopping is second only to malls, the Toronto Star's business section asked SEP Inc. CEO Jeff Quipp about the future of mobile ecommerce and the current state of ecommerce websites.

"The use of mobiles to do any kind of search is increasing in leaps and bounds," said Jeff Quipp, a digital marketing expert and CEO of Canadian digital marketing firm Search Engine People Inc. (SEP).

He predicts that by 2020, more purchases will happen via mobile than desktop, provided that Canada can get faster 4G service and phone makers keep introducing bigger screens.

Many existing company websites aren't mobile-friendly. They take too long to load because they are too laden with images or they don't render well on some devices. Companies need to ensure their websites incorporate so-called "responsive" design.